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| Sitting on a hill by the Tagus
River, Toledo began as the site of a roman fortress.
In the 6th century AD the Visigoths made it their capital. In the 13th century, the confluence of Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures in the city inspired the Castillian King known today as Alfonso el Sabio (Alphonse the Wise) to establish the Escuela de Traductores de Toledo (The School of Translators) making Toledo a center of learning famous all over Europe. In the 16th century, Toledo was home to El Greco (The Greek), a greek immigrant by the name of Domenikos Theotocopoulos (1541-1614) who arrived in 1577 to paint the altarpieces in the convent of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, and who was so enchanted by the city that he never left. Toledo is also known for its
damascene work--inticate gold designs (mostly birds and flowers) on black
metal.
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